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Milonga Spotlight: El Pato Loco

June 4, 2019

SF Bay Area’s newest milonga: “El Pato Loco” (The Crazy Duck!)  

Since the inaugural launch in March at the Starline Social Club in Oakland, the milonga has attracted a great crowd of tango dancers looking to spend a casual Sunday afternoon dancing. The third edition is happening this Sunday June 9, 12 PM to 4 PM, with DJ Selene playing traditional tango music.

The milonga is held on the 2nd floor of the club, a historic Victorian building built in 1893, featuring a 4,000 sq ft sprung maple dance floor and professional sound system. There are alfajores and empanadas being sold at the milonga by Wooden Table Cafe, a local Argentine owned business (who are tango dancers themselves) and a bar in-house with a fantastic assortment of drinks (beer, wine, cocktails, mocktails, juice, tea, iced coffee, including some refreshing tango-themed mixes). The first floor is also a bar and restaurant which has already found many dancers hanging out post-milonga, loathe to part from each other’s company. A good sign they had a great time and still wanting to continue the positive tango vibes!

Its time slot helps answer a question often raised by passionate tango dancers – an eclectic bunch that run the gamut of Bay Area work-life – artists, teachers, engineers, students, yogis, biotechies, traveling sales-folks, baristas, webdevs and more. When the laundry and other necessary weekend chores are done, and being responsible adults (most of the time) trying as hard as possible to not stay out too late on a Sunday evening: “Where can I dance on a weekend afternoon?”

As it is often challenging to find an enjoyable place to dance, and especially in larger tango communities like San Francisco’s, success is determined by multiple factors. Is it convenient to get to? Is it affordable and sustainable to run? Is the venue enjoyable to dance in (floor, temperature, ambiance, music, etc)? Is there food and drink at reasonable cost? These are some of the things, though not the only ones, that can contribute to the overall appeal, and are often questions only answered after some time.  

The hosts, Hereen Oh, and Scott Boddye, are local tango dancers presenting this milonga in partnership with Starline and the support of tango friends. Having recently moved to SF from NYC just a few years ago, they arrived as dancers not having “grown up” in the area, starting fresh and looking to make the Bay Area their home – in both the literal and figurative senses of the word – physically, emotionally, and in this specific context: their “tango home”.

Having danced for years in New York and the East Coast, as well as a lengthy sojourn of several months in Buenos Aires just prior to moving to the Bay, El Pato Loco is built upon their own hopes, principles, and unfulfilled tango needs that they’d surfaced as they began settling in. Arriving in the Bay Area just as a popular Sunday early evening milonga in Oakland was ending (the now closed Studio 1924 venue), and for a couple of years taking in the depth and breadth of the Bay Area tango scene as regular social dancers, they experienced the challenges of meeting people, making friends, and witnessed milonga organizers’ struggles to keep venues and events both vibrant and sustainable.

They danced at as many of the tango events they could find, large and small, checking out what the area had to offer, and making new friendships and connections. But their experience getting to know the SF Bay Area community as new members from elsewhere, vs. the many of us who grew up learning and living tango here for years, combined with a desire to find their own tango home, has perhaps given them an insightful perspective (though perhaps not uncommon):

Hereen shared, “…for a while, everywhere we went, we didn’t know anybody, and that forces you to really look around, really do the cabeceo stuff…” Attending smaller and less attended tango events connected them with dancers they otherwise wouldn’t have met at larger venues. In a relatively short period of time, they have come to know the community well, perhaps in ways better than folks living within it for years might know itself.

At the least, their early tango experiences dancing in the Bay have given them fresh momentum in creating El Pato Loco. With the recent closure (though hopefully only temporarily) of a popular Saturday afternoon tango event in SF – the practica at Bissap Baobab – Hereen and Scott finally decided to start El Pato Loco with a careful “soft launch”, to relatively quiet fanfare, inviting all the folks they knew, and arrived with resoundingly successful beginnings. Both the first and second events were well received, showing solid promise with the support of many of the Bay’s avid social dancers and organizers in attendance, they’ve decided to continue to hold the milonga on a monthly basis, to the delight of their supporters.

Why El Pato Loco?

(Photo Credit: www.teresatamstudio.com) During their stay in Buenos Aires, while attending a musicality workshop with a couple of popular, internationally renowned maestros, the teachers used the example, “como un gato enojado” in an effort to explain their idea – which from then on became an ongoing joke between them to explain those vague concepts often difficult to grasp in tango, often not making much sense at all. “Como un gato enojado!” “Like an angry cat!” 

So in coming up with the name, they played around with the idea, names like “”La Cabra Ansiosa,” “El Perro Relajante,” or “El Pollo Borracho,” with a playfulness true to their “tongue-in-cheek” humor, as many of their friends know of them. And so was born, “El Pato Loco,” because it was “easiest to remember…and…rolled off the tongue,” says Scott. 🙂

They’ve reached out to attendees for feedback via online surveys in addition to checking in with folks both during and post-milonga, and tweaks to improve things from the first event to the second are noticeable. Like mama y papa patos, Hereen and Scott are lovingly and thoughtfully growing a place where patitos locos can go to dance. Quack, quack, go, enjoy, and wish them well!

In addition to the past Facebook events linked above, check out these wonderful Facebook photo albums created by various tango community members who’ve attended. And for more details, join the Milonga El Pato Loco Facebook group! To get in contact with the hosts, you can reach them at ElPatoLocoMilonga@gmail.com.

Filed Under: Interviews, Milonga Spotlight Tagged With: Argentine Tango, Bay Area Milonga, Bay Area Tango

Tango scenes in SF

sflovestango

Celebrate #bayareatango community, support everyone involved & share ♥️ of #tango with San Francisco Bay Area and beyond.

sflovestango
🧨 New year, new beginnings! One happened yester 🧨 New year, new beginnings! One happened yesterday at @thetangodome – first Women's Gathering hosted by @ayano.yoneda.tango, including folks who identify as women.

Part clothing & shoe swap, and part cultivating a safe space to be vulnerable, be generous, be supportive, and be real with each other.

Looking forward to more of this and building a community that keeps involving what tango events can be beyond the dance! 🙌 
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#tango #argentinetango #tangoargentino #tangolovers #womenintango #bayareatango #sisterhood #beyondthedance
As the year-end approaches, many SF local tango ev As the year-end approaches, many SF local tango events have had or will have their last event of 2022 to wrap things up. This year's last Milonga Rubia al Sur happened this past Sunday, Dec 18 with DJ @ayano.yoneda.tango and special performance with visiting artist, @martinalmironartist, and milonga host, Lisette @passion4tango. 

With the holidays coming up and Argentina winning the world cup, dancing tango all night long around Lisette's very own flower arrangements was just the appropriate celebration people needed.

Hosted by Lisette Perelle, Milonga Rubia is held every 1st & 3rd Sunday of the month, with current location at Just Dance Ballroom (2500 Embarcadero) in Oakland and a different DJ for each event.

✨ Fun fact - how Milonga Rubia got its name... ✨

Lisette's Argentine friends have always been calling her 'Rubia' because of her blonde hair. One day about 6 years ago, when she was discussing naming this new milonga with @julian_tangosf, he said, “Why not just call it Milonga Rubia?" That's how Milonga Rubia got its name! The event once was in a venue in Emeryville/Richmond. Once Lisette changed venues to a more southern location (Just Dance Ballroom in Oakland), the event's name was changed to 'Milonga Rubia al Sur' accordingly.
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#tango #tangoargentino #argentinetango #tangoevent #sundayfunday #milonga #milonganight #socialdancing #bailemos #embrace #tangodancers #bayareatango #oakland #keepdancing #dancingislife #weekendrecap
Last Saturday, Saturday Dec 17, @abrazoqueertango Last Saturday, Saturday Dec 17, @abrazoqueertango hosted their Holiday Bash with performances by @mirabtango and Miranda at @tangodome, a cool art gallery and dance space at 951 62nd St in Oakland.

🏳️‍🌈 Abrazo Queer Tangois a volunteer-run organization, and after expenses, all funds are used to pay for their events and offer discounts to students and folks short on cash. To help the org break even in 2022 and fund its 2023 programs, last Saturday's event was positioned as a fundraiser with a sliding scale $20-$40 for folks to choose how they'd like to show their support, offering a sweet night of performance, community and great music in a magical location. 

Missed the event yet still would like to support Queer Tango? Donations always totally work! Please write *donation* in the comment via your favorite method:
Venmo ➡️ abrazo-tango (Karen Curtis)
Paypal ➡️ abrazoqueertango@gmail.com
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#tango #tangoargentino #argentinetango #tangoevent #specialevents #milonga #saturdayvibe #socialdancing #bailemos #embrace #tangodancers #bayareatango #queertango #oakland #keepdancing #dancingislife #weekendrecap
💫 #motivationmonday is not over yet so here is 💫 #motivationmonday is not over yet so here is a quick recap of the International Day of Tango at @greatnorthernsf last night! 💫 Milonga hosted by @julian_tangosf with DJ @loco_chung. 
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#diadeltango #tango #tangoargentino #argentinetango #tangoevent #specialevents #milonga #sundayfunday #socialdancing #bailemos #embrace #tangodancers #bayareatango #sanfrancisco #keepdancing #dancingislife #weekendrecap
This Friday night in the heart of San Francisco, t This Friday night in the heart of San Francisco, tango dancers and the public who are curious art lovers had a unique experience with live music performed by local tango musicians and the strategic mix of TANGO • VALS • MILONGA • ALTERNATIVE music by DJ @jonas.aqui of @jxtango at @drawingroomsf_annex, an art • gallery • studio in the Mission district – a free event by the collaboration of @chetangosf, @drawingroomsf and @artistmigration. 

Artists featured:
Sumi Lee (piano) @sfsumi
J Ramada (bass)
Basma Edrees (violin) @basmaedreesviolin
Verónica Freidkes (vocal) @veroverofreidkes

Check out our stories and story highlights for snippets of the performances and tango dancing around art pieces!
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❣️ about Che! Tango SF❣️

All events created by Ramada Salieri and Elaine Chiu are dedicated to providing an inclusive and friendly dancing and learning environment in San Francisco and the Bay Area regardless of gender, age, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, religion, or any other characteristic or trait.

ONGOING EVENTS
Che! Milonga: Every 1st and 2nd Saturday of the month 
Che! Música + Milonga: Once every quarter on a 2nd Saturday
Milonga Uno: 3rd Saturday of every other month
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❣️ about The Drawing Room SF ❣️

MISSION
The Drawing Room connects community through art to help improve the overall human condition by making art accessible and part of the daily fabric of our lives. 
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❣️about Artist Migration❣️

ANTI CAPITALIST ART
Artist-led curatorial project providing performance and exhibition opportunities to international artists.
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#tango #tangoargentino #argentinetango #concert #milonga #specialevent #onenightonly #livemusic #fridaynights #art #tangomusic #contemporarymusic #contemporarytango #womenintango #womeninmusic #artislife  #tangomusicians #musiciansofinstagram #sanfrancisco #california #bayareatango #sflovestango #jxtango
Those who came out to @tangolabruja last night had Those who came out to @tangolabruja last night had an epic evening of dancing and live music with three highly skillful tango musicians’ improvised music – Trio Tangazo, a dynamite tango trio made up of Sascha Jacobsen (bass), Seth Asarnow (piano), and Adrian Jost (bandoneon). 

~~Fun fact~~
Sascha, Seth and Adrian all performed at La Bruja previously - either with other tango ensembles or in duo - but it was the first time all three of them taking the stage together!

📍 @berkeleycityclub 
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#tango #concert #milonga #milonganight #specialevent #onenightonly #tangomusic #improvisation #travelingmusician #musiciansofinstagram #california #berkeley #bayareatango #tangomusicians #tangodancers #socialdance #dancingislife #sflovestango
🥧 Tomorrow is Thanksgiving so @milongamalevaje 🥧 Tomorrow is Thanksgiving so @milongamalevaje is closed for that matter, but here is something different & fun from last Thursday 😉 with DJ @jonas.aqui, courtesy of hosts @tanguera_e, Ramada Salieri and Adolfo Caszarry.

Have a wonderful holiday everyone!
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#tango #tangoargentino #argentinetango #milonga #milonganight #tangoevent #tangoalternativo #alternativetango #tangonuevo #embrace #bailar #bailemos #socialdance #partnerdance #tangodancers #dancingislife #bayareatango #sanfrancisco #sflovestango
✨ FRIDAY NIGHT TANGO ✨ It’s been awhile sin ✨ FRIDAY NIGHT TANGO ✨

It’s been awhile since Milonga La Genesis (hosted by @julian_tangosf) has live tango music. Last night LEO TANGASSO QUARTET was in the house, featuring @leogassomusic from Montevideo, Uruguay on bandoneon,  @smurfetteshum on piano, Stella Bonilla on violin,  @digsmahler on double bass.

(🎥 @tangonnection, edited by @sflovestango)
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#tango #argentinetango #tangoargentino #specialevent #bayareatango #tangomusic #livemusic #tangomusicians #bandoneon #piano #doublebass #violin #quartet #onenightonly #milonganight #sanfrancisco #sflovestango
👏 The all-female tango ensemble, 𝙇𝙖𝙨 𝘼𝙡𝙢𝙖𝙨, wrapped up their 2022 concert tour at @alameda_elks1015, playing for a full house of guests at the @housetango Community Milonga.

𝙇𝙖𝙨 𝘼𝙡𝙢𝙖𝙨 is a collaboration between powerhouse female tango musicians @sfsumi (piano), @heynisolera (bandoneon), and @teagbby (violin). Their concert on Sunday featured guest bassist @fabricanfabricant and vocalist @teresatam.sing.

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The mission of 𝙇𝙖𝙨 𝘼𝙡𝙢𝙖𝙨 is to present contemporary Argentine tango through virtuosic artistic performance and educational events.  Sumi, Heyni, and Teagan originally bonded in Buenos Aires, drawn by a mutual love of tango music, as well as by a realization of the inequality of professional opportunity for women in the tango genre. They studied under the same maestros and performed with prestigious tango orchestras in Buenos Aires.  They now frequently perform around the world, including in their respective adopted cities of San Francisco (Sumi), Washington, DC (Heyni), and NYC (Teagan). All of the musicians also produce their own music. 
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#tango #concert #milonga #specialevent #onenightonly #tangomusic #contemporarymusic #contemporarytango #womenintango #womeninmusic #travelingmusician #heynibando #tour #beautifulwomen #musiciansofinstagram #sanfrancisco #california #berkeley #oakland #bayareatango #tangomusicians
🎉 Saturday, October 22 marked the grand re-open 🎉 Saturday, October 22 marked the grand re-opening of Vecher Tango at the Russian Center of SF!

After a long pause of two and a half year, the magnificent grand ballroom was filled with tango energy again. What made the occasion extra special was the incredible performances by another visiting master couple @javierchikk & @moiracastellano. To top it off, @virginiaychristian "Los Totis" joined Javier & Moira on the floor for a mixed maestros dance!

Shout-out to our dearest friend Davood Yazdani, Julia Schiptsova of Tango Element, and all the local organizers for making this weekend feel like a mini tango festival in San Francisco!
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#tango #argentinetango #argentinetango♥️ #tangoargentino #milonganight #tangoperformance #bailar #bailemos #bailando #tangoshow #tangoevent #tangodancer #tangocouple #specialevent #onenightonly #tangophoto
✨It's a star-struck tango week in SF!!✨ @vir ✨It's a star-struck tango week in SF!!✨ 

@virginiaychristian "Los Totis" have been teaching in San Francisco (brought to you by our very own Davood Yazdani who's in collaboration with Julia Schiptsova of Tango Element!) And we were mesmerized by their fantastic performances last night at the special edition of @milongamalevaje at @verdiclubsf ! 🤩👏
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#tango #argentinetango #argentinetango♥️ #tangoargentino  #tangoperformance #bailar 
#bailemos #bailando #tangoshow  #tangoevent #tangoperformance #tangodancer #tangocouple #specialevent #onenightonly #tangophoto
💫 Exactly a year later, 𝙇𝙖𝙨 𝘼𝙡𝙢𝙖𝙨, an all-female tango musician collaboration, has returned to the SF Bay Area!! 

Last night they took the audience on a magical journey to Buenos Aires with a concert-milonga at @tangolabruja in Berkeley. Check out our stories to see more snippets of their performance!

𝙇𝙖𝙨 𝘼𝙡𝙢𝙖𝙨 is a collaboration between powerhouse female tango musicians @sfsumi (piano), @heynisolera (bandoneon), and @teagbby (violin). The concert last night featured guest singer @veroverofreidkes.

The mission of 𝙇𝙖𝙨 𝘼𝙡𝙢𝙖𝙨 is to present contemporary Argentine tango through virtuosic artistic performance and educational events. Sumi Lee, Heyni Solera, and Teagan Faran originally bonded in Buenos Aires, drawn by a mutual love of tango music, as well as by a realization of the inequality of professional opportunity for women in the tango genre. They studied under the same maestros and performed with prestigious tango orchestras in Buenos Aires.  They now frequently perform around the world, including in their respective adopted cities of San Francisco (Sumi), Washington, DC (Heyni), and NYC (Teagan). All of the musicians also produce their own music. 

Catch them for the rest of their tour!
🔸10/20 (Thur) 10pm, World Folk Jam concert w/ ten other world music groups, Oakland
🔸10/21 (Fri) 7pm, Sebastopol Center for the Arts
🔸10/22 (Sat) 7:30pm, Sunset Music and Arts, San Francisco
🔸10/23 (Sun) 3:30pm, houseTango Community Milonga @ Alameda Elks Lodge, Alameda
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#tango #concert #milonga #specialevent #onenightonly #tangomusic #contemporarymusic #contemporarytango #womenintango #womeninmusic #travelingmusician #heynibando #tour #beautifulwomen #musiciansofinstagram #sanfrancisco #california #berkeley #oakland #bayareatango
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